Sharon Osbourne: I Want Ozzy to Retire Before He Hits 70

As Black Sabbath inch closer to the end of their farewell tour — no final date has been announced — the next question on fans' minds is what can we expect from the Ozzy Osbourne solo unit following the conclusion of Sabbath's run. Recently estranged wife and manager Sharon Osbourne has her finger on this pulse, revealing the clock is ticking on the singer's solo career as well.

Both Ozzy and Sharon appeared at the Ozzfest Meets Knotfest press event yesterday (May 12) in Los Angeles. Sharon will remain Ozzy's manager despite recent news of her split with her longtime husband. She told Rolling Stone, "We'll continue until Ozzy finishes, and Ozzy won't be long behind them when he calls it a day." Giving a loose timeframe, she stated, "It's not going to be within the next year, but it's coming up. I don't want Ozzy singing 'Crazy Train' at 75. I think it's best you go out before you hit that 70 and go out on top." The Prince of Darkness will turn 68 this December, leaving little time if Sharon's trajectory holds true.

Not only does meeting the rigorous demands of a world tour hovering on the edge of 70 years old prove to be challenging, but we've also been reminded of the frailty of life as rock and metal legends have been lost at an unprecedented rate starting with the deaths of Scott Weiland and Lemmy Kilmister at the tail of 2015. "Everybody's dying, you know," Ozzy conceded to Rolling Stone. "I go, 'I hope don't die tonight!' It's like the year of the dying rock star, isn't it? And yet the [Rolling] Stones keep going on. Paul McCartney keeps going on."

The latest twist of the knife came with the loss of the iconic Prince. "When Prince died, I was like, 'Wow, what the f--k?' David Bowie, Lemmy. F--king hell, it's one a week," lamented Ozzy before quipping, "There's going to be some good equipment on sale soon."

A press conference was held yesterday (May 12) as promised earlier in the week by Ozzy and Slipknot's Corey Taylor. Sharon took the stage to announce 'Ozzfest Meets Knotfest,' which will see the two festivals merge for one weekend in San Bernardino, Calif. on Sept. 24 and 25. The fest will feature three stages, one being named in Lemmy's honor.

Ozzy reflected on Lemmy, recalling, "I went down to South America with him last year, and he looked very frail. He said to me, 'Soon, me and you are going to be dead forever.' He says, 'Aye, I lived my life the way I wanted to live it. Who wants to live to 99 miserable?' That was Lemmy. He was a great friend of mine."

See Where Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy Kilmister + Corey Taylor Rank Among the Top 50 Hard Rock + Metal Frontmen of All Time